2021 Ford Explorer vs 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The 2021 Ford Explorer had a design that fit well within Ford's family of SUVs, all starting with the letter "E." It shared a sporty, raked beltline and squinting visages with its siblings, making it hard to distinguish from the Edge at a quick glance. The Explorer offered six trim levels, each with varying degrees of exterior and interior refinement, from the base model to the luxurious Platinum. Inside, it provided three rows of seating as standard, with a clean dashboard and an 8-inch LCD touchscreen dominating the center stack. The XLT trim, the most popular, added features like a power front passenger seat and nicer finishes, while higher trims offered leather upholstery and more advanced tech.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, in its second generation since 2014, received a significant refresh in 2018 that carried over into 2021. This refresh included a dual-screen center console that became a hallmark of Land Rover interiors. The Range Rover Sport offered a range of trims, from the base SE with leather upholstery and dual-zone climate control to the high-end Autobiography with 22-way power-adjustable front seats and power soft-close doors. The SVR and SVR Carbon Edition trims featured performance-oriented upgrades, including a more powerful V8 engine and sport seats. The interior was luxurious, with ample headroom and legroom in the first and second rows, though the optional third row was best suited for children.

The 2021 Ford Explorer, weighing in at 4,345 pounds at its lightest, featured a base 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 300 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. This engine outperformed the Kia Telluride's V6, despite the Explorer's heavier weight. All trims came with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Limited Hybrid trim offered a V6 hybrid drivetrain with 310 hp and 331 lb-ft of torque. Higher trims featured a 3.0-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, delivering 365 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque, while the sport-oriented ST trim offered 400 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. The Explorer's towing capacity ranged from 5,000 to 5,600 pounds, depending on the trim and engine.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered a variety of powertrains. The base P360 mild-hybrid powertrain combined a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with a 48-volt electrical system, producing 355 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. The HST model featured a more potent P400 powertrain with 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. The HSE Silver Edition offered plug-in hybrid and diesel options, with the P400e plug-in hybrid delivering 398 hp and 472 lb-ft of torque, and the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 producing 254 hp and 443 lb-ft. The HSE Dynamic and Autobiography trims featured a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, while the SVR and SVR Carbon Edition trims offered an even more powerful version of this engine, making 575 hp and 516 lb-ft. All models had an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive, with a towing capacity of up to 7,716 pounds (except the SVR, which could tow 6,613 pounds).

The 2021 Ford Explorer's base model seated seven, while other trims with captain's chairs in the second row reduced seating capacity to six. It offered 39 inches of legroom for second-row passengers, which was competitive within its segment. With the third row deployed, the Explorer provided 21 cubic feet of cargo space, and with the rear seats folded, it offered a total of 81 cubic feet of cargo room.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport provided a maximum of 63.7 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 31.7 cubic feet with the second row in use. An optional third row increased seating capacity from five to seven, but with the third row in use, cargo space was limited to 10.8 cubic feet. The first and second rows offered ample headroom and legroom, while the third row was tight and best suited for children.

The 2021 Ford Explorer's base trim came with an 8-inch touchscreen, offering AM/FM radio, SiriusXM satellite radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 4G WiFi hotspot, Ford's Sync 3 infotainment system, and a six-speaker audio system. Higher trims added a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, HD radio, and an optional 10.1-inch touchscreen with up to 14 speakers. Charging options included two USB ports in the center console and five 12-volt power points, with a 110-volt AC power outlet available on higher trims.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport featured a dual-screen center console, with the lower screen controlling climate and vehicle settings and the upper screen handling infotainment. The system included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it was not always intuitive and had a learning curve. The lower screen's dials could switch between multiple functions, controlling everything from fan speed to off-road settings. The upper screen had reasonably sized icons for easy navigation, and a real volume button was located at the base of the lower screen.

The 2021 Ford Explorer was rated as a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), with top "Good" scores in all crash tests and an "Acceptable" rating for adaptive headlights. The Explorer came with the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety features, including auto high-beam headlights, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and dynamic brake support. Higher trims added features like adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, and speed sign recognition.

The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Sport came with standard driver assistance features, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and front-and-rear parking sensors. Optional features included adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a surround-view parking camera, traffic sign recognition, driver drowsiness monitoring, and parallel and perpendicular park assist. A head-up display was also available.